Time Will Tell
by MegElizabeth
Summary: COMPLETE Sydney realizes everything around her has changed, but the biggest change has occured within.
1. Default Chapter

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters except ones that I will concoct along the way...they all belong to J.J. Abrams. 

  


"He's been married for nearly a year Syd."

  


As if I expected any less.Obviously I was very easy to get over. 

  


"He thought you were dead. It's not like anyone, let alone Michael Vaughn, could get over you that easily, so don't even think that."

How exactly could Eric Weiss read my mind? When had that happened? Here we were, sitting in a hospital room together and he was reading my thoughts.

  


"Look, Eric, I really appreciate your support and everything, but I am still trying to figure out what has been going on for the past two years. What about everybody else? I asked Vaughn about Will, my dad, Sloane...but he wouldn't tell me anything. What's going on?"

  


"Will is alive, remarkably. He is now a field agent...your dad....we'll discuss that later, and Sloane is still at large. He hasn't been heard from in the last two years, which is really why we're investigating you right now. There have been rumors going around that you and Sloane staged this whole thing, and that you were working for him the entire time."

  


"That's ludicrous."

  


"Anybody who knows you knows that, believe me, but people talk. You know that."

  


I merely nodded. The only people who really knew me in the CIA were my father, who was currently MIA, Weiss, and Vaughn. I wondered what Vaughn thought. Could he ever think that I was a traitor? Even THINKING his name brought malicious feelings into my mind. How could he be married? I couldn't wait to meet this wife of his.

"So, uh, what's Vaughn's wife like?" I asked boldly.

  


"That's a loaded question," Weiss answered, only to be met by the scowl on my face. "Personally, I think she looks exactly like you. I pointed it out to Mike once, and he got pissed. Long brown hair, same face, same build...only difference is she's quiet and she's got blue eyes."

  


"How did he meet her?"

  


"Sydney, this is emotional suicide you know."

  


"Weiss," I warned.

  


"Fine, fine...he didn't meet her until about three months after you disappeared. She worked here for a while, as an analyst, they started dating and then..." he trailed off, leaving me hanging.

  


"What?"

  


"She got pregnant."

"Oh." He's a father now, I thought.

  


"They both quit the CIA, he proposed, and the rest, as they say, is history."

  


I paused for a few moments. This was too much to handle in one day. As far as I was concerned, twenty hours ago I was kissing Michael Vaughn in his car, planning to go on a romantic getaway to Santa Barbara. Too bad that moment had really occurred two years ago.

  


"Well, you know Vaughn, he never could follow protocol," I laughed bitterly.

  


"Syd, you alright?" 

  


Weiss moved closer to me, sitting on the hospital bed, and draped his arm around my shoulders. It felt good to be touched again, even if it was by Weiss. Vaughn treated me like I had the Bubonic plague when he rediscovered me only a few short hours ago.

  


"It's all just too much Eric. I thought that Vaughn and I had this connection, you know? Like he could feel my presence, even if I wasn't around, and I could feel him too. So, how could he have ever believed that I was dead?" I felt the tears coming now. It was at this point that the doctor decided to come in. I wiped my face quickly.

  


"Agent Bristow, we will be releasing you shortly. We've taken all the tests we need to take at this point. If we need to do anything further, we will let you know," he smiled stiffly, and motioned to Weiss, who stood up quickly. The doctor whispered something to him, and was gone shortly after.

  


"Well, Bristow, it looks like they're going to lock you up overnight."

  


"You can't be serious."

  


"Sadly I am. They're going to be placing you in your mother's old cell."

  


"Good Lord. As if losing memory of the past two years of my life isn't bad enough. So I take it they haven't caught my mother just yet."

  


"Actually...it's interesting that you bring your mother up." 

  


"Why, what about her?"

  


"We did take her into custody again, shortly after you disappeared. Later, she was found innocent of her crimes against all those CIA officers she supposedly killed, and was released from custody. She's with your dad somewhere in the Caribbean now."

  


"Supposedly killed...Caribbean...WHAT?" I turned to him, eyes wide. How much had I really missed these past two years? I didn't even want to know anymore. Eric's face was beginning to look a little hazy, and I heard him say something, but I couldn't quite make out his words.

  


That's when everything went black.

  
  


NOTE: to everyone who reads this, it will jump around a lot, not because I like to confuse people but because I must follow how my heart is telling me to write. Thank you.


	2. Family Reunion

First chapter written from Syd's POV

The rest will be written from my POV 

  


She woke up in a bright room. At first, all she could see was white light, but eventually, other colors began to shine through and take shape, until she realized...

She was in a condominium of some sort. She could smell the distinct scent of salt water; hear the crashing of waves. Though she had always loved the ocean, it provided no solace. How many times in the past two days had she opened her eyes and discovered she was in a foreign place? Way too many.

  


"Oh, thank God Sydney, you're awake!" a voice invaded her thoughts, and touches of a Russian accent revealed its source before Sydney even turned around.

  


"Mom!" she exclaimed. She was not quite sure how to feel about this. How exactly had she gotten here? _Where_ exactly was here?

  


Her mother closed the space between them, and leaned down to embrace Sydney tightly. CIA agents had threatened her mother's life the last time they had touched each other. This was definitely a strange feeling. Irina released her hold on Sydney just enough to look into her eyes and smiled at her daughter. 

  


"Jack," Irina shouted "She's awake!"

  


Sydney took this moment of broken eye contact to take in her mother's appearance. She had not aged at all, which was not surprising. Her skin was deeply tan, her body still in excellent shape, her hair shorter than Sydney remembered....but there was something else. When Irina turned to her once again, she realized that her face was completely different. Her smile lit up the room and her eyes had a certain radiance to them; she was happy. 

  


"Sydney!" a new voice invaded her thoughts and snapped her out of her reverie. Sydney turned to her father, and ignoring her developing headache, rushed to him and embraced him. To her it felt like a few hours since they had last been together, to him it had been an eternity. She was stunned that he embraced her as tightly as he did. He had never been the type to show emotion. This Jack Bristow was obviously a very different man.

  


"Oh, Sydney, I never believed you were dead, never! I knew this day would come! Oh thank God!" he exclaimed, tears falling down his face, onto Sydney's own. She held onto him, before releasing him to look at him. He had changed as well. He had grown a beard; Sydney could not recall him ever having one. She decided in her mind that she loved it. It suited him. The stoic, cynical look his face had once held was now gone, replaced by a look of happiness similar to her mother's. What exactly was going on here? 

Tears were now forming in her own eyes and noticing them immediately, her father wiped them away from her cheeks. The gesture was something she had been waiting for all her life; her father had never held her quite like this! She returned his smile, and looked over to her mother, who gazed at them both with loving eyes. Irina walked to them and threw her arms around her family, reunited at last. The embrace lasted for several minutes before any of them spoke.

  


"I guess we have some explaining to do Irina," he said, looking at his wife.

  


"Yes Jack, we do." 

  


"Well Sydney, you might want to sit back down," Jack stated, as he assisted her back to her resting place on their off-white couch. "You're mother and I are back together."

  


"I gathered that much," Sydney said "but how? What happened?"

  


"Well Sydney, your father discovered that I had been framed by the KGB. I never murdered all those CIA agents."

  


"Seriously?" Sydney said, her voice cracking.

  


"Seriously. I did kill several people, but it was only to complete my plan."

  


"Which was...?"

  


"I convinced Sloane to destroy the Alliance, you already know that. Though it appeared that I escaped CIA custody in order to assist Sloane, my only intention was to destroy him, for all he had done to you, to our family. I did just that. I brought him into CIA custody, finally doing what I should have done all those years ago, when I was forced to leave you."

  


Sydney's tears were now running freely down her face. She held her mother's gaze, allowing her to continue the apology that was coming.

  


"Sydney, I've always loved you, and your father, that was never fabricated. I should have told your father the truth...I was so fearful the KGB would hurt him, or you. I knew the only way to escape them was to leave, to establish my own organization, and eventually destroy all the forces that were keeping me from you." By this time, Irina was sobbing as well. "I would have never left you if I had another choice Sydney. Honey, please believe me, please forgive me."

  


Sydney looked at her mother, a woman who had betrayed her, her father, and the United States government. A woman who had killed many people to get what she wanted. Despite this Sydney could not ignore one fact: what Irina Derevko had wanted all along was to be reunited with her family. She had suffered silently, accused of crimes she really HAD NOT committed, separated from those she loved, forced to create false alliances with the likes of Arvin Sloane - she had done it all for her family. In most cases, it seemed completely insane and horribly dysfunctional, but in Sydney's family, nothing seemed strange anymore.

  


"Mom," Sydney choked out, "Of course I forgive you!"

Irina embraced her daughter tightly, crying tears of joy. Even Jack was crying. Though this was an overload of information, Sydney was overjoyed that her family had been given a second chance. Now, her mind could only wander to Vaughn. Would they be given a similar chance?

  



	3. Reactions

  
  


Meg Vaughn gasped as the front door of her house was slammed shut.

  


"Hey honey!" she cried.

  


"Hey," Vaughn said flatly as he approached her in the kitchen. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her cheek lightly, before making his way to the refrigerator. Meg watched him closely as he grabbed a glass from the cabinet, grabbed the orange juice, and poured it, staring into space.

  


"Michael, you're getting orange juice all over the counter."

  


At this, he snapped out of his trance, looking down to the counter. He swore under his breath and grabbed a rag, cleaning up the mess he had made. As Meg watched him, she noticed his wrinkled forehead, a visible sign that he was worried. She came over to him and grabbed the glass from his hand, as well as the rag.

  


"Honey, what happened last night?"

He looked into her eyes for the first time since he walked in the door. She could see tears in his eyes, and again she pleaded, "Michael, tell me."

  


"Sydney called into the CIA last night," he said, clearing his throat. Both of them jumped as Meg dropped the glass onto the floor. They both immediately scrambled to clean it up. 

  


"Sydney? Sydney Bristow?" she asked quietly.

  


"Yes, and..."

"Honey, can they be sure it's her?"

  


"They've ran tests. It's her."

  


Meg searched his face for any emotion. She found nothing. She tried to catch his eyes again, but he would not look at her. She knew why. His eyes would give him away.

  
  


*****

  
  


"Whatever, Weiss, I do NOT suck."

  


"Bristow, you totally suck."

  


Sydney had been released from CIA custody after returning from the Caribbean. The following night, she and Weiss had gotten together to play video games at Weiss's apartment.

  


"Weiss, do you realize I could kill you right here, right now? I doubt anyone would miss you."

  


"Shut up! Vaughn would totally miss me!"

  


At the mention of her former handler's name, Sydney got quiet. Weiss smacked his forehead, and it hurt.

  


"God, Syd I'm such an idiot. I'm sorry."

  


"It's not your fault...it's not even his. This is all my fault."

  


"Syd...look..." Weiss was cut off by the annoying tone of his phone. He smiled at her, rolling his eyes. He ran to the phone, picking it up to check the Caller I.D.

  


Vaughn.

  


He looked at Sydney, flashing her a confused smile.

  


"You can answer it you know." She knew who it was.

  


"Weiss," he said speaking into the phone.

  


"Dude, why didn't you answer your phone?" Vaughn's panicked voice answered.

  


"Because, dude, I had to find it," Weiss answered sarcastically. Vaughn sighed loudly. "What's up man?"

  


"Eric, what am I going to do?"

  


"About what?"

"I think you know what I'm talking about." Weiss looked up at Sydney, who was staring at the blank tv screen.

  


"Yeah," Weiss sighed "I think I do."

  
  


NOTE: I FINALLY updated...more will be coming soon.

  
  



	4. Allies

  
  


The next day, Sydney woke up with plenty of things to think about as she got ready. First of all, she was in her father and mother's apartment, one that they had for when they came to visit LA. She took a few moments to look around the apartment and was overjoyed to find new pictures of her parents together; in the park, on a bench together, at a ceremony where they renewed their vows, and on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean. She also noticed pictures from her childhood; walking hand in hand with her father at an amusement park, 'cooking' with her mother, and being embraced by both her mother and father in front of their first house.

As Sydney stepped into the shower, she loathed the fact that she was going back to work. Sure, it had been two years since she had worked for the CIA, but did she really have to do what they wanted her to? Apparently Dixon now had Kendall's job, which she was so thankful for; Kendall had always been an inconsiderate idiot. She wasn't sure what was going on with Marshall, or even Weiss for that matter. When her and Weiss had been together last night, they had not talked about ANYTHING or ANYONE related to work.

When Sydney was finished getting ready, she stepped outside into her car, and was off the CIA offices. She was not sure if Vaughn would be there, and knew she should not care if he was or not. As she pulled into the CIA parking lot, she took a few deep breaths, and walked into the building with her head held high. She felt everyone's eyes on her, but kept staring straight ahead. She wondered what they were saying about her, but quickly shook the thought when she noticed Weiss approaching her.

"Syd...I need to talk to you." Weiss said, as he pulled her into a very familiar place.

"Eric, this is the flirting corner. Are you...?"

"No" he cut her off. He tried to look serious, but they both burst out laughing.

"Look, I'm sorry that...he called yesterday...you shouldn't have left."

"Eric, I left because I had to get home, it was getting late."

"Yeah, whatever Bristow. We're going to be talking about Vaughn sooner or later you know," Eric shuddered at the look on her face at just the mention of his name.

"I know Eric...but not today, okay? Please," she pleaded quietly. 

"Okay...change of subject, you are looking at your partner for your first mission."

Sydney's eyes lit up, "Seriously?"

"Yes, isn't that awesome? They're finally giving me a chance."

"I'm just glad it's with you and not..." her voice trailed off.

"I understand." With that they left the flirting corner, and Weiss began explaining the mission to her, and what their objective was. At that moment, Marshall stepped into Sydney's line of vision, and his face broke out into a smile when he saw her. She ran over to him and hugged him.

"God, Syd, I can't believe you're here, I mean obviously, you're here because you're right in front of me, which oh my God, I just..."

"Marshall," she interrupted, "I've missed you too." She smiled and hugged him again, and at this noticed the picture on his desk.

"Marshall," she squealed, pointing at the picture. He looked and smiled.

"Yeah, me a father I know...I can't even believe she agreed to marry me."

"Oh my God, I'm so happy for you! Carrie is awesome."

"I know, she's great, we're happy," his voice lowered, when he realized that she wasn't. Sydney realized what he was thinking, and eased his mind.

"It's okay, Marshall. I'm ok." she looked into his eyes, trying to make herself sound convincing. At that moment though, Vaughn walked into the offices, and caught her eye. She sighed. There was no way she'd be able to lie now.

  


*****

  


Miles away, a mysterious voice could be heard talking into a cellular phone.

"Yes, she's home, exactly as you planned," 

Another voice, "Don't screw this up."

"I won't. You know I have my own reasons for doing this."

"As do I. Follow them to Dublin, intercept they information and return immediately to your station. I'll arrange a pick-up."

"They'll never know I was gone," with that, a phone was slammed shut, and a traitor smiled.


	5. First Impression

Thanks to all of you who reviewed my story - I really appreciate your support! I promise I'll update as much as I am able to! Thanks again, God Bless!

  
  


Michael and Meg Vaughn looked like the perfect couple as they strolled down Aisle 3 in their local grocery store. Michael pushed the cart as he had done many times before, and followed Meg as she threw miscellaneous items into it. She occasionally looked back at him to smile, and lightly brush her arm over his. He loved his wife, he knew that much. Her entire face lit up when she smiled, warming his heart and soul.

However, Michael Vaughn's heart was broken. It was growing impossible to hide from Meg. He always joked that she should have been a spy; she had a sixth sense when it came to his emotions. The night that he returned home and she had dropped the glass, they had not said another word about the CIA...or Sydney Bristow. This lack of communication was killing them both.

As Michael steered the cart, his mind drifted to a conversation he had with Sydney years before. She had remarked that it was ironic that she only seemed to lie to those she loved. It was ironic, that was for sure. Lately irony had seemed to overtake his life. He looked up at his wife, watching her dance around in the aisle as she hummed a familiar tune. Yes, she was beautiful, and yes, he loved her. The simple fact was that she would never be Sydney Bristow. When he looked up again, he saw Sydney dancing in the aisle, which opened his mind up to a greater truth - if Syd had never disappeared, they would be married.

Suddenly a small cry from the cart snapped Michael from his silent reverie. His daughter, Taryn looked up at him with big brown eyes, and he grabbed her tiny hand to let her know she had his attention. He looked up again and smiled solemnly at his wife, Meg, still dancing in the aisle. Yes, maybe this wasn't the way things should be, but it was the way things were. Sooner or later, he'd accept it.

  


*****

  


"It's not my fault you ran out of beer Eric."

"Yes it is, Bristow. I saw you take the last one." Weiss returned.

"Whatever, Will took it." Sydney shouted

"I did not!" Will chimed in, and the seriousness of his expression left Sydney and Eric hysterical.

"God, you guys I do NOT know what I would do without you. I mean who else is so ridiculously stupid?" Sydney laughed.

"All I know is they're going to kick us out of this place, and it will be all your fault guys, so shut up!" Will spat out. Eric looked at Sydney who winked at him, and could no longer contain his laughter. Sydney joined in, smiling ear to ear. She had never previously gotten thrown out of a grocery store; it would be quite amusing. It was amazing, that after years of being a spy and traveling around the world, that these little things still entertained her. Go figure. She wasn't paying attention as she turned around the corner of the aisle, and slammed into a woman about her height.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry! I wasn't even paying..." Sydney's voice trailed off as she looked up. Her eyes met a face nearly identical to hers, and then with a very pale-faced Michael Vaughn.

"...attention," she finished, doing her best to smile again. The woman stared at her, looking confused as she looked back to Vaughn.

"Honey?" Meg questioned, looking at him. He took a deep breath, and ignored his wife's question, looking directly at Sydney.

"Hey Syd," he said, and looked into his wife's eyes, "this is my wife, Meg."

  


*****

  


Sydney slammed the door to Eric's apartment and immediately threw herself onto his leather couch. Will and Eric proceeded with caution, not sure what actions to pursue. The ride back to his apartment had been completely silent, and they both knew Sydney was feeling horrible. They both took a seat simultaneously in matching leather chairs, and waited. It was several minutes before Sydney spoke.

"She seems nice," she said icily. Will looked at Eric and sighed.

"I'll go get some ice cream." Will said, grabbing Eric's car keys, and walked out the door. Sydney was silent again, except for the quiet sobs that were beginning to shake her body. Eric was instantly by her side on the couch, and lifted her up to cradle her in his arms.

"Syd, come in, it will be okay."he said quietly.

"Oh God, Eric. How will anything ever be okay again? I mean, it's bad enough knowing that he's married, that he's a father. But to see her, to see them both? Oh God." her shoulders shook violently, and he cupped her chin to turn her face toward his own.

"Syd...I know you don't want to hear this, but things are different now. He's married, he has a daughter. Now I KNOW he's never going to love Meg like he loved you, but Taryn, his little girl, changes everything."

Sydney looked up at him, pools of tears falling from her big brown eyes and smiled as he wiped them away from her face.

"Thank you Eric, I know you're right. It's just hard. I love him. To him, it's been two years since I've been gone. I can't deny that I understand, because I went through the same thing with Danny. But to me Eric, it's only been two days since I disappeared. There's this large chunk of my life that I feel I will never get back."

"I know Syd. I know," She buried her head in his shoulder and he held onto her silently for a few minutes, before saying quietly, "Well, Will's coming back with ice cream, and then you'll KNOW everything will be okay."

He could've sworn he heard muffled laughter coming from the direction of his shoulder, but ignored it in favor of returning to silence, stroking her hair and rocking her softly. Suddenly he spoke.

"I'll find out what happened to you Sydney, and when I do, whoever did this will pay." Sydney gasped, and looked up at him, noting the fire in his eyes as he looked straight ahead. As they sat anticipating Will's return, her tearful 'thank you' was all that was heard.

  


*****

  


Miles away, a smile crept across the face of a villainous being.

"I'll pay, Mr. Weiss? It's a pity I'll have to kill you. You've always made me laugh." 

  



	6. Revelations

NOTE: Thank you to all of you who have been reading my story and sending in positive reviews...I haven't forgotten Francie, as you will see in this installment. This one is long, guess you can say I got inspired. Don't give up hope when it comes to Agent Weiss, I have some surprises up my sleeve...mwuhaha...thanks again! God Bless!

  


"For the last time, I don't want to talk about it Meg!", Michael shouted. This was the third or fourth fight they'd had since the incident in the grocery store. Michael would not say a word, and Meg could not seem to let the situation die.

"For the last time Michael, you can't keep changing the subject! We're going to have to talk about it sometime...."

"Why? Why do we even have to mention her name?" he demanded, in tears.

"Because of this Michael! We're arguing! You and I both know we rarely fight, and because you are sobbing your eyes out, and we're not even talking about this in detail! It disturbs me Michael, and I want it to stop!"

"Or what Meg?" Or..." she interrupted,

"Or our marriage won't survive." She stated blatantly, looking directly in his eyes. With tears filling her own, she turned her back on him and walked out the door.

  


*****

  


"What do you mean he's working with us?" Sydney demanded.

"Before you have a seizure, he's not doing field work anymore, he quit a while ago. He's going to be back here communicating with us while we're in Dublin," Eric stated.

"So I'm going to have to hear his voice?" she squeaked.

"Oh My God Bristow, get over it! You're a professional or at least you're supposed to be!" She immediately became silent, and could not meet his gaze. He sighed loudly.

"Syd, is there something else going on? You're acting insane today." He looked at her questioningly, and realized she was contemplating sharing potentially important information with him. She placed one hand on her hip, the other on her forehead and turned to him, tears in her eyes.

"I called Francie's mom today...to tell...to tell her I'm so sorry. She was so angry. She screamed at me, telling me I was the reason Francie was dead."

"Syd..." Eric started to interrupt,

"I couldn't argue with her Eric. I am the reason she's dead. If I had told her the truth, she could have went away from here...she never would have got gunned down in her own restaurant. I mean what kind of friend am I, that I didn't even notice that I wasn't living with Francie anymore, that I was living with a complete stranger?"

By now she was sobbing, and Eric felt completely helpless. He closed the space between them, wrapping his arms around her, and began stroking her hair. He held her as she cried, but released her when her sobs began to subside. He held her at arms's length, looking into her eyes.

"Syd, it's not your fault. You did what you had to do. Yes, you had to lie, but that kept her safe. How could you have known that someone was planning on taking Francie's life as their own?"

"But..."

"Don't interrupt me. You couldn't have Syd. You couldn't have. You need to accept that and move on. Francie was your friend, and she loved you. She wouldn't want you to dwell on her death. I didn't even know her and I know that."

She looked up at him and smiled through her tears. He reached up to her face to wipe them away, held her face in his hands for a few moments, and looked her in the eyes and smiled.

"Eric, thank you. Don't take this the wrong way, but we're in the middle of the CIA headquarters and..."

"No, totally, you're right!" He said, laughing nonchalantly (or at least he hoped) and awkwardly removing his hands from her face. She wiped the remaining tears from her face, smiled once more, and walked away from him. She smiled to herself, thanking him again silently for the sweetness of his gesture. She only hoped it went unnoticed. 

Luckily, the higher-ups of the CIA had not noticed...there were other issues to be dealt with. Only one set of green eyes had seen every move his best friend and former asset had made.

  


*****

  


"We're in." Sydney stated into her comlink, as Eric followed her into a small pub in Ireland.

"Copy Mountaineer," Vaughn's voice came back over the com. He cringed as he heard Sydney refer to Eric as 'honey'. He was struggling to remember that it was just part of their cover, and that nothing was going on...or was it? Like he had a right to...

"Boy Scout, do you copy?" a voice hissed in annoyance.

"Copy."

"The disk we have isn't working. Any bright ideas?"

"Yes, see if you can locate any other disks..."

"Boy Scout, we've got company, going radio silent."

"Syd..."

"Out, Boy Scout." With that, a click was heard, and Sydney's voice was gone.

  


*****

  


He wasn't sure how he'd gotten here. Five minutes ago, he was pounding on a computer, yelling obscenities in attempt to work the blasted disk. Suddenly, a sound was heard, a guard was yelling and he was kissing Sydney Bristow. That last bit was the part that had him the most baffled; what was weirder was that he didn't even initiate it. Before he had time to react, her lips were off his own, and she was profusely apologizing to the guard, who glanced over her with amusement. Eric was fuming; of course the idiot was checking her out. He snapped out of his anger quickly, only to realize Sydney was buying him time to casually slip in another disk she had found. He did so, moving slowly, saving the vital information and removing the disk before Sydney was even finished explaining their reason for being in the room. She glanced over her shoulder, realizing the transfer was complete, and knocked the guard out cold with one swift kick to his head.

"Nice Bristow, nice."

"Thank you. Let's get out of here." They climbed up a set of stairs, and exited the pub casually, before climbing into a black rental car.

"You better get Mike back on, he's probably flipping out."

"Yeah...," she switched on the comlink, "Boy Scout, this is Mountaineer do you copy?"

"Mountaineer, yes I copy, what's your situation?"

"Successful Mountaineer. We're on our way home as we speak. 

"Copy. You alright Syd?" Sydney stiffened at the nickname.

"Yes Michael, we're both fine. Out." She switched off the comlink again, only to turn on her cell phone. She dialed a familiar number.

"Tippin."

"Will, It's me."

"Syd, oh thank God. Mike was freaking out!"

"I'm aware. We're on our way home now, just wanted to let you know, in my own words, that we're alright."

"I knew you guys would be. Let me talk to Weiss." 

"Okay, love you."

"Love you too Syd, bye." She handed the phone to Eric, who struggled to steer the wheel with one hand.

"Hey," Eric said.

"Hey, you alright?" Will asked.

"Yeah, we're both fine."

"Yeah, thanks to Syd," Will said.

"How would you know man? I could've kicked some serious..."

"Whatever man...there was video you know." 

"Oh crap I forgot. Oh God, did Mike see..."

"Yeah. Yeah he did. And you know him, no visible reaction, but those who know him know..."

"He's pissed."

"Yeah, that's an understatement," Will said dryly. Weiss looked over at Sydney, who was staring at him questioningly. They arrived at the airport, and Eric pulled the car to a stop, turning off the engine.

"Alright man, I'm getting off here...we have a plane to catch." Eric said.

"Yeah man, see you when you get home."

"Bye." Weiss flipped the phone shut, and looked at Syd again.

"What's going on?" Sydney asked. Eric was quiet for a moment, not sure what to say or do in this current situation.

"Eric..."

"Syd, there was video," he said quietly, watching as the blood drained from her face.

"Oh God Eric," she gulped, "We're going to have some explaining to do." He looked directly in her eyes. How was he going to explain something that he didn't even understand? 

  


*****

  


"What happened?" an angry voice hissed over the phone.

"I didn't get there in time. I'm sorry Mr. Sark."

"I don't want your apologies, I want the disk. I'm beginning to think you don't want what you say you've wanted all along."

"I want this, you know that."

"Then get the disk."

"I'll be risking my cover."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take," he hissed and slammed his phone shut.


	7. Taken

Vaughn paced around the CIA headquarters, trying to make sense of all his emotions. He was married to a beautiful woman who loved him, and he loved her too. Yet, he couldn't shake his feelings for Sydney. She had been 'dead' for two years, and sure, he hadn't gotten over it, but he had moved on. Why was it so hard to accept that she could be moving on too? He mentally told himself to shut up; just because she had kissed Weiss didn't mean that they were romantically involved. But what if it did?

He could not wait until their flight landed, when he would find Weiss and discover what was going on. He looked at his watch again. Two more hours until he would get the answers that he so desperately needed.

  


***** 

As their plane landed, Sydney and Eric were both lost in their own thoughts. Sydney's were focused on what Vaughn's reaction would be to the kiss. It almost made her want to vomit. However, she was also pondering why exactly a kiss was the chosen route in her and Eric's situation. Was it absolutely necessary? She wasn't sure. She sighed loudly, causing Eric to look in her direction. She felt his eyes on her but continued to stare into space.

Eric watched her as she moved. God, she was beautiful; from the moment he had met her he was painfully aware of that. Now that she had kissed him, it was over. It would've been better for her to kick _him_ in the head. He sighed loudly, folding his arms and hitting his head against the headrest of his seat; _repeatedly_.

  


*****

  


When Eric and Sydney stepped off the plane, Vaughn was there waiting, along with Dixon. When Sydney noticed Vaughn, she rushed past him, ignoring even Dixon's presence. Dixon started to go after her, but was halted by Eric's voice.

"Let her go Dixon. She just needs a minute." Dixon almost protested, but decided against it. Vaughn pulled Weiss off to the side.

"Hey man..." Weiss started.

"Are you out of your mind? What were you thinking?" Vaughn demanded.

"Um, hello, did you not see the video? _She_ kissed me!"

"Right, okay, like you were protesting," Vaughn spat out.

"Look Mike..." 

"No you look Weiss. I have enough to worry about, I don't need to worry about you hitting on..." Vaughn interrupted, wagging his finger in his face.

"On what Michael, your girlfriend? The last I checked, you're married, and not to Sydney. So whatever is or isn't going on between me and your _ex_-girlfriend is none of your business." At this point, their noses were mere inches apart, eyes wide, both visibly steamed. 

"Whatever man, I should've known that you..."

"Would what Michael, be her friend? Be there for her? Possibly be attracted to her? I mean, I have no chance right, that's what you're saying right?"

"I'm not saying that..."

"So you can be married then, and Sydney has to be alone for the rest of her life?"

"No..."

"Listen to yourself man. Just look at how you're acting. You can't have things both ways man. You can't keep doing this," Weiss said, and before Vaughn had the chance to say another word, Eric walked away.

  


*****

  


She wasn't sure where she was going, but she was getting there fast. She located a bathroom and entered, checking to see if anyone else was in any of the stalls. They were all empty. She stood in front of the mirror, noting the black circles that were under her eyes and breathed for the first time in what seemed like twelve hours.

"Ahh! Why do you care what he thinks Sydney? He's married, he has a new life. Why can't you just get on with yours?" she screamed to herself. She slammed her fists on the marble sink, then turned the sink on to splash cold water on her face. She grabbed paper towels to dab her face, and looked into the mirror again, feeling a little refreshed.

"Why did I kiss Eric? What was I thinking?" Tears were now flowing from her face, and she reached down to turn back on the water, again splashing her face. She looked in the mirror one last time.

"I deserve to be happy. I deserve it. Can he make me happy?" she asked herself. She wiped her tears from her face, pondering for a few moments, before turning around to exit. She was met with a fist to the face, and before she had the chance to fight back, her body began to succumb to the darkness.

"Ahh, Sydney. Looks like you'll never find out. Too bad. Eric will be devastated." 

Sydney looked up, realizing she only had a few moments before she would black out. She detected a Russian accent in a very feminine voice, and struggled to make out a face through the fog that was beginning to form in her mind. She gasped.

"_You_." She whispered, before collapsing to the ground. 


	8. Discoveries

Woohoo, what a cliffhanger eh? Enjoy this...try not to be too confused...hey if J.J Abrams can make Sydney disappear for two years, I can do whatever I desire in my tale...mwuhaha.

The insanity of TONIGHT's premiere makes me feel not so guilty about the insanity of this next chapter. Please, don't kill me.

Sydney was getting really sick of waking up in places she didn't recognize. _Why can't I just have one normal day_, she thought. Her entire body ached, though she hadn't been injured at all, besides a possible concussion. Her hands and feet were bound to a chair, and though she had escaped these kinds of restrictions before, she didn't have the strength to attempt escape at the moment. She looked around; nothing much to look at. She was in dark room, walls black, with one small candle burning in a corner. She heard no noise, so she assumed that the room was probably sound-proof. _Good, no need to waste my voice then_, she thought.

She sat silently, trying to remember the moments before she had blacked out. She had been in the bathroom in the airport, crying over Michael and surprisingly, Eric Weiss. _Oh God, Eric, where are you_, she thought. She almost laughed out loud at the irony of it all. Years before, she had called Vaughn her guardian angel, and now she was waiting for Eric to come rescue her. Weird. _Whoever knocked me out must have hit me pretty hard_. She paused at that thought. Who had knocked her out? She knew that she had seen a face; she just couldn't remember who it belonged to. _Why can't I remember?_

At this, a door opened from behind her. She waited patiently to see a face, but first heard a voice she immediately recognized.

"Long time no see, Miss Bristow. We really should try to see each other on a more regular basis."

"_Sark_."

  


*****

  


"What do you mean you're not sending out a team to find her?"

"Eric, I care about her as much as you do, however, we have no leads on where she is. It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack!" Marcus Dixon shouted.

"Well, there is no way I'm going to let another two years go by without her, which is what you guys are going to allow to happen," Eric spat out.

"We have every intention of getting Syd back...right now, we have to wait," With one last look, Dixon turned around to talk to Marshall. Eric's thoughts were interrupted by a new voice.

"Come on man, you need to relax, we're going to find her," Michael Vaughn said quietly. Eric looked at him in disbelief.

"Give me a break man. I know you're freaking out, no matter how much you try to hide it. I can tell by your face that you're worried."

"Yeah, well, I am. But Sydney's not the only person I'm worried about."

"What me? You don't need to worry about..."

"No, well yes, I'm worried about you...but I'm worried about Meg."

"Why, is she freaking out about Sydney?"

"That's just it man, I don't know. She hasn't come home in three days."

"Oh man, I'm sorry. I had no idea," Eric stated quietly, looking in his best friend's eyes. A few moments passed before Vaughn spoke again.

"Look Eric, I'm sorry that I came down on you yesterday. I've always been too emotionally attached to her. I know that I'm married, and no matter what, I am committed to Meg. It's just hard, because part of me will always love Syd. I always wonder how things would be if..." he trailed off.

"If she had never disappeared," Eric finished for him.

"Yeah," he sighed, running his hands through his hair, "but I have to get over it, and I will. Just please cut me some slack, because you're my friend man. I don't want to lose that." At this, their eyes met, and Eric understood. They both did. Now with that out of the way, they could focus their energy on something much more important: Finding Sydney.

  


*****

  


"Well, Mr. Sark, why don't you start by telling me why you brought me to this place?"

Sydney smirked as Sark came into view. He hadn't changed a bit, which was almost comforting considering the complete upheaval of her life...same cocky smile, same elegant air to him...for a second, she almost forgot she hated him. _Almost_.

"Ah, Miss Bristow, what would be the fun in that? I'd love to hear what you've been doing for the past two years," he smiled as she visibly stiffened.

"You know very well that I've been missing Sark. You also know that I've lost everything."

"Miss Bristow, everything? Really, isn't there anything you're not considering?"

"My parents, Will, Eric. That's about it."

"Ah, Mr. Weiss. I've heard things..."

"Shut up," Sydney spat out, wishing she could spit in his face.

"Mr. Weiss is a touchy subject? Alright then. We won't discuss him. We have more important things to cover."

"Like what?" she asked, annoyance growing.

"Like the missing years of your life. I can give you the answers you want. It's time you knew what happened to you Miss Bristow."

"I work with the CIA Sark, in case you've forgotten. Analysts and field agents are investigating my hiatus as we speak. So why in the world would I trust anything you have to say about my disappearance?" He smiled at her, amazed at her brilliance under pressure.

"Because I was there Sydney. I was the one who took you."

  


*****

  


In L.A., a cell phone rang.

"Vaughn."

"Hello Mr.Vaughn,"a voice, obviously altered, answered him.

"Who is this?" he demanded.

"I cannot disclose that information."

"What is this about?"

"Your girlfriend Sydney Bristow."

Vaughn gasped, and waved Eric over to him, mouthing that there was a caller claiming to know something about Sydney. Eric's eyes lit up, and stood close to Vaughn, attempting to listen to the call.

"Speechless, Mr. Vaughn? That's a shame, perhaps I should let you go then..."

"No! I'm here!" he shouted, "Where is Sydney?"

"If you ever want to see Miss Bristow again, look in a location that you know well."

"What location? What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"Mr. Vaughn, keep in mind that Miss Bristow could have been brainwashed during her absence. Just consider it," and with that, the caller was gone. Vaughn swore loudly, causing several agents to look in his and Eric's direction. Eric dragged Vaughn into the 'flirting corner' demanding to know what was going on.

"The caller said that we should look in a place that I know well, and that I should consider that Syd may have been brainwashed....what exactly is that supposed to mean? God! What are we going to do?" Vaughn yelled, earning a supportive pat on the back from Eric.

"Just think for a minute man. Were you and Syd ever together in a lab of some sort that performed procedures of any kind?"

"Eric, we've been in several places together...the lab where she destroyed the circumference maybe..."

"You weren't in the lab Vaughn, only she was. The caller said that you _knew _the place well," Eric interrupted. They both became silent, considering what the answer was. Vaughn was racking his brain. What lab had he been in that Sydney had been also? Suddenly the answer became clear.

"Oh my God, Eric! The lab in Paris, where Sydney found me after I disappeared. She told me Khasinau was about to perform a procedure on me!"

"Vaughn! That's it, man. That's the answer we've been looking for! We've got to tell Dixon, so we can send a team right away!" Weiss started to walk away, but stopped when he noticed Vaughn had not moved from his spot.

"Vaughn, come on man, what's wrong?" Vaughn was silent for a moment, obviously deep in thought.

"Eric, I'm excited to find her. I'm ecstatic. But there's one question that will be burning in my mind."

"And what is that?"

"Who just called us?"

  


*****

  


"You're responsible for this?! I'll kill you Sark, so help me..."

"I'm touched Miss Bristow really," he laughed at her attempts now to remove the ropes that bound her arms and legs.

"After you killed Alison, Sark and I took you with us. He wanted to perform tests on you to see..." he trailed off.

"To see what?"

"To see if you were truly the woman in the prophecy of Rambaldi." Sydney laughed out loud.

"You mean to tell me that this is about Rambaldi, _again_? You guys really need to get a life."

"After extensive training, tests, and work in the field, we discovered that you aren't the woman in the prophecy."

"Well, happy day. May I go now?" she asked impatiently. Then she paused for a moment. "What do you mean, _work in the field_?"

"You truly are amazing Miss Bristow, you don't miss a thing. At first, you would not comply to our orders. After certain procedures, your attitude changed."

"Procedures?"

"In other words, you were brainwashed. I imagine that's what you Americans would call it," Sydney could not believe what she was hearing. It couldn't be true...though it would explain why she couldn't remember anything.

"What did I do during this time that I...wasn't myself?"

"You were an assassin," he stated. He watched as the color drained from her face. _Well, for once_, he thought, _Sydney Bristow is speechless_.

"That's not all, Sydney..." she looked up to meet his gaze. What could be worse than what he had already told her?

"You and I became very close during the period you were with Sloane and I. When Sloane was taken into CIA custody, we grew even closer."

Sydney could not believe what she was hearing; she became friends with this viper?

"Like what, we became best buddies, we had sleepovers, what?" she demanded.

"We..."

"WHAT?"

"We have a child together Sydney."

"What are you talking about? You're a liar! I would like to think that I would never, _ever_ sleep with you, brainwashed or not."

"Well, you did. Anna is evidence of that. I will have DNA tests performed if you need further proof. However, I think when you see her, you will see the truth."

Sydney struggled to absorb this information. A daughter? How could she not remember having a child? Oh God. She had a child. With Sark. She wished she had never asked any questions. Somehow she knew that what he was saying was true. If it was, she didn't know if she wanted to escape from this place, let alone live. The weight of the situation weighed heavily upon her heart, which became painfully evident when the world became black, and Sark's face was the last thing she saw.


	9. True Lies

NOTE:

HA! Bet none of you were expecting all of that!

Heard a cool quote today, thought it was excellent:

  


"Do you know how lucky you are? You're a writer. You get to live life twice. Who else can do that?" -Joey to Dawson, Dawson's Creek

  


I love living life a second time through my writing...it's an awesome experience.

Enjoy this chapter...more will be revealed. Heh. Yes, there is more...

  
  


When she woke up, Sark was gone, and she was now in a well-lit room, untied. She sighed to herself, standing up to stretch, amazed at the pain she felt all over her body. She checked for injuries, and accessed that there were none. The memory of the story Sark had told her about her disappearance came back to her, and though she didn't want to admit it, it made sense. She had noticed that she wasn't in the greatest shape anymore, and she also had nearly invisible stretch marks. Sark had told her the truth. She began to weep; for her missing years, her insane relationship with Sark, her strained one with Vaughn, her confusing feelings for Eric; but most of all, for her daughter. _Anna_, he had said. The name sounded like a name she would have chosen herself. _Maybe I did_, she thought, _but why can't I remember_? 

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an opening door, and she moved her hands to her face quickly to wipe away her tears. She didn't move to turn around, for fear of having to face Sark again. She wasn't sure if she could.

"Agent Bristow...you're being a little rude don't you think?"

Sydney's eyes widened as she recognized a voice that certainly did not belong to Sark. She turned around quickly, gasping at the new development.

"_You_," she whispered. She was face to face with the woman from the bathroom.

  


*****

  


"Vaughn, we have ten minutes until takeoff man, what are you doing?" Eric cried.

"I just need to make a phone call, I'll be right there," he replied, walking into a nearby lounge in the airport. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the familiar number. It rang once. Twice. Three times. He sighed when a recorded message began.

"Hey, you've reached Meg Vaughn's cell. I'm sorry I'm not available to take your call. Leave a message, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible! Have a great day!" the message ended, and his wife's cheery voice echoed in his head. 

BEEP

"Hey Meg, this is Michael. Honey, I know you're angry with me. I know I'm confusing you because I'm confusing myself. I've been so lost Meg. Sydney's reappearance shook up my whole life. But when she disappeared, you were there for me. You loved me, you were honest, you were true. For that, I will always be thankful...I will always be true to you Meg, regardless of anything Sydney says or does. You are my wife. I love you. I've got to go. I have a field mission. I know you hate when I work in the field, but this is my last one. I promise you that. When I get back, I'm going to do everything in my power to get you back. Je t'aime." he said quickly, hanging up, amazed at how easily that had all come out. _I really do love her_, he thought, _and I'll do anything to get her back_. Right now he had to find Sydney. 

*****

"Surprised Miss Bristow?"

"To say the least," Sydney couldn't believe her eyes. She had only encountered her once, but Sydney was sure of the identity of the woman in front of her.

Meg Vaughn.

"I wish I could communicate to you the look of shock in your face. It's truly amazing."

"I'm not amused. Meg doesn't have an accent, yours is clearly Russian. Who are you?" Meg laughed. Bristow was a bright one.

"My name is Melina Sloane," at this, Sydney visibly stiffened.

"Oh God, are you Arvin's..."

"Before you go any further, I'm not Sloane's daughter. He's a lot of things, but he's not an adulterer. He loved Emily."

"Then who are you? Besides a liar? How could you do this to Vaughn?"

"Don't you have a child with Sark?" Sydney visibly backed down, which brought a smile to Melina's face, "So, who is worse Sydney, you or me?"

"I won't decide until you tell me the truth," Sydney said quietly, establishing eye contact at last. Melina hesitated. Yes, she was going to tell the truth, but she wasn't sure if Sydney could handle it. _I'm not even sure if I can handle it_, she thought. She took a deep breath, and turned away from Sydney, figuring it would be easier if she didn't have to look at her.

"My mother was a KGB agent, assigned to an American CIA agent. She was to uncover information the government needed, and return to Russia as quickly as possible. However, she feel in love with him, and they had a child together."

Sydney listened intently, though tears were forming in her eyes.

"When the KGB discovered her feelings for him, they forced her to leave, or they would assassinate her family. She did as she was told. But when she left, she carried a secret, that no one knew, not her husband, not the KGB, no one..." Sydney's eyes widened.

"She was pregnant Sydney, with me. Our mother was pregnant," At this, Melina turned around to face her.

"My name is Melina Bristow," she stated, looking at Sydney with a tear in her eye. "And I am your sister."

*****

The team was assembled outside the building very quickly, mostly because of Eric and Michael's determination. Michael was leading the team, primarily because of his familiarity with the facility. Dixon was in L.A. watching via satellite, and his voice was heard over the com.

"Boy Scout, you are clear for entry. I repeat, clear for entry."

"Over. We're going in," Upon Michael's command, the team snuck into the mansion. While many of the members did not know where to start, Michael immediately found the door that lead to a basement, and to the lab where he knew Sydney was. When he got to the door he hesitated for a moment.

"What are you doing man? Is this it?" Eric asked.

"Yes, but..."

"But nothing, we've got to get to her!" Eric shouted, earning looks from the team. He continued to stare at Vaughn, rolled his eyes and began to push past him.

"Eric, wait!"

"What?"

"I just have a feeling we're not going to like what we find," Vaughn stated, green eyes full of emotion. Eric threw his hands up in exasperation. He had to get away for a moment. He stepped aside to wear Will was, and pulled his aside.

"He is driving me insane Will! I just want to get to her, can't he see that?" he yelled.

"Yo, yo Weiss, you need to chill. You're starting to remind me of..." Will trailed off, hiding a smirk.

"Of what? Who?" he looked at him, throwing his arms up, "WHAT?"

"You look exactly like Vaughn did whenever Sydney was in danger. The look in your eyes is the same look that I used to have in mine."

"Whatever Will, you have no idea what I'm feeling."

"Don't patronize me Weiss. I was in love with the woman for years. Shut up and admit that you love her already will you? I mean God, I'm not the only one who knows!"

"I am not in love with...what do you mean people know? Who? Who said anything?"

Pointing at him, Will threw his head back in laughter.

"You are _so_ in love with her," Will laughed again, and before Eric could protest, Vaughn shouted,

"We're going in!" and with that they burst through the basement door.

Whether or not whatever they would find was bad, they were about to find out.

*****

"Like mother, like daughter," Sydney laughed stoically, which angered Melina.

"Look, mom doesn't even know I'm alive. She probably doesn't care either; she's too busy being obsessed with you...perfect Sydney Bristow."

"What do you mean she doesn't..."

"When the KGB found out she was pregnant, she was forced to go into hiding. Alexander Khasinau was right by her side - he was in love with her. However, when she gave birth to me, someone took me and told her that I had died."

Sydney gasped at this. Though her mother- their mother- had failed to tell her the complete truth about her life in Russia, she had really thought that Melina had died.

"I observed her for years, and after the KGB recruited me, I became obsessed with bringing her down. Just from watching her, I knew that her heart wasn't in espionage-her heart was with you, with Jack...dad," Melina was weeping as she spoke, "I've never met him. He wouldn't know I exist Sydney. Mom didn't even doubt what those people told her. But when you disappeared, they banded together, and they sought you out. They never believed you were dead," At this, she wiped her eyes, cleared her throat and turned away to compose herself. She turned back, eyes flashing, holding a gun to Sydney's head.

"They won't need to doubt what people tell them this time sister dear. They'll know for sure that you are dead."

Sydney gasped and closed her eyes, preparing herself for impending death. The sounds that followed confused her; an opening door, voices, both American and Russian, shouting...and finally darkness, so overwhelming and frightening and comforting all at once.


	10. Loss

  
  


She awoke only moments later to find Eric kneeling over Vaughn, who had apparently been shot. She immediately shook off the effects of her blackout and ran to them both.

"What happened?" she demanded, looking around for her sister, "Where's Melina?"

Eric looked up at her, tears in his eyes. "She and Vaughn got in a fight. She told him who she was, claimed to love him, love Taryn. He said that she was just like her mother. That made her angry and she...she shot him. Then she did the weirdest thing...she leaned over him, kissed him and just tried to leave. I ran after her, gunned her down..." 

"Is she alright?" She smirked at his look of shock, "Don't look so shocked Eric, she is my sister, no matter how twisted...oh God, I can't believe she shot him..."she said, looking down at Vaughn, holding his face in her hands.

"An ambulance is on the way...I asked the other guys to leave...I figured you wouldn't be out long...I wanted to give you guys time to..." he trailed off, his voice breaking. He didn't need to say it. He was giving her time to say goodbye to Vaughn, because he was going to die.

"I'll be right outside Syd," he kissed her cheek and before he left, she surprised him by embracing him tightly. He held onto her hand for a moment, and then left the room, looking at Vaughn once more. They had already said their goodbyes...and he didn't think he could stand to watch another person say goodbye to his best friend.

  


*****

  


Irina answered the phone as she always did, very politely.

This conversation however, would change her life.

Director Dixon called to inform her of the CIA's latest capture.

Her daughter, Melina Bristow was in custody.

"What?" she shouted, calling Jack to her side.

"Mrs. Bristow, she's alive. As it turns out, she was posing as Meg Vaughn. She was married to Vaughn to get to Sydney...she planned to kill Sydney..." at this point, the Bristows had Dixon on speaker phone, and Jack interrupted him.

"What? Is Sydney alright, where is she?"

"Agent Weiss called, Sydney is fine. Vaughn is not."

"Oh no," Irina whispered.

"I'm sorry to let you know this way. I just wanted you to be informed."

"Thank you, Director. Please have Sydney call us when she has the opportunity."

"Will do. Goodbye."

"Goodbye," they said, in unison. 

A few moments of silence passed by before either of them spoke.

"I thought you said she was dead."

"That's what they told me," Irina whispered, and then added, "Jack, we have another baby. Oh God, what have I done?" she cried.

"Honey, what? What are you talking about?" Jack held her at arm's length, looking into her beautiful brown eyes.

"Oh God Jack, she pursued Sydney because she's angry at me, most likely for not looking for her adequately. I'm thrilled that she is alive, but she could've hurt Sydney. Oh Jack, what kind of mother am I?" she cried, burying her head in his shoulder. He stroked her hair, then stepped back to look into her eyes.

"I may not agree with all the decisions you've made...but you love our daughter...you love both of them. You've done everything you've done, good and bad, for them. You're the kind of mother who would do anything for her children. And that's what I love about you."

She looked at him, the fiery determination returning to her eyes.

"I must see her Jack, I must see Melina," she stated. He looked at her, hesitating. He wasn't sure if that was the best idea. However, if it would make his wife happy, he would allow it. 

"I'll make the arrangements," he said, and left her in the living room, where she collapsed on the couch, crying over her mistakes, her regrets, and her daughters.

_Daughters_. Oh, how things were _still_ changing. 

  


*****

  


"Hey you've got to hang in here for me Vaughn. We've been through much worse than this," Sydney said, stroking his tousled hair, looking into his green eyes, which were becoming more unfocused as the moments passed.

"Syd," he coughed, "I always knew that this day would come. With my father's death, I somehow knew that it was inevitable," he began weezing, coughing loudly.

"Shh...hey, don't talk, okay, don't talk. Let me do the talking." 

"As always."

"I mean it, Michael." At the sound of his first name, he was quiet.

"I'm sorry that I was so angry with you. I loved you. I woke up feeling like only one day had passed. I couldn't understand how you could move on so quickly. I do now. I'm just so sorry that I'm only telling you this now," she was crying, tears rolling off her own cheeks and unto his own, and she kissed his cheeks, trying to remove them all.

"I loved you too, I still do. You know that. I'm sorry I wasn't faithful..."

"You had a right to fall in love Vaughn. You had a right. I'm sorry that I didn't see that. I'm sorry that I didn't understand. I'm sorry that in your last moments I have nothing really important to say, or anything that really matters. But really all I want you to know is that I loved you. Even when I was angry, scared, confused, hurt...I loved you."

He seemed to contemplate her words for a few moments, and Sydney wasn't sure if he just did not know what to say, or if it just hurt to much to speak. She was answered when he took a deep breath, looking up to meet her eyes.

"I told Eric I want him to look out for Taryn," Sydney's eyes welled up at the mention of his daughter - she had almost forgotten..."What I did not tell him was that I want you to take her too." 

She looked at him, wondering if delirium was kicking in. She wasn't quite sure what he was trying to say. He recognized this, and took another breath.

"I want you and Eric to be together," he said, looking in her eyes.

"Vaughn..." 

"No, listen. I loved you Syd, but the truth is, for me, love just wasn't enough. I didn't have faith in you, in us. From the moment you were pronounced dead, Eric didn't believe it. He pursued every lead he found, he didn't give up. I did. You need him in your life. You deserve better than me." Sydney looked at him, shocked at his words. She didn't know whether to be frightened or touched that Vaughn was thinking of her in his final moments. Even in death, he remained her guardian angel.

"He loves you Sydney. I've known it for a while," Sydney looked to the ground, "and you care for him too. I don't want you to feel guilty about me...I want you to see where it leads...follow your heart...and have the kind of love that I never had."

Sydney looked at him, his face growing paler, eyes completely unfocused, and watched as his lips moved for the last time.

"Remember what I said. I love you. Tell Taryn I love her. Tell Meg..." he winced, "...Melina, that surprisingly I love her too," with this, he took his last breath. Sydney watched, closing his eyes with two fingers, and held him in her arms as she sobbed.

"I love you, I'm so sorry Michael...God I'm so sorry!" she whispered, and as she started to sink to the floor, Eric came back inside, lifting her up to allow her to fall into his arms to cry until she could cry no longer.


	11. Breakdowns

  


Michael Vaughn's funeral was not a typical, staunch CIA-issue funeral. No, it was much more than that. Touching stories, both emotional and humorous were told about the wonderful CIA agent, friend, father and man. Not an eye was dry, even those of Jack Bristow, who cried over the loss of a man he had come to respect and admire for his tenacity and expertise on the job. Irina Bristow stood next to her husband, arm around his waist, tearing up as well. She had not known Michael Vaughn that well, and felt guilty that he had assumed that she had murdered his father. She hated that Michael had died this early in life, when it seemed that he so much more to do, so many more memories to make with Taryn, and maybe even with Sydney. She looked over to Sydney, who stood next to Eric Weiss, whose arm was draped lightly around her shoulder. Will Tippin stood on the other side of Sydney, his hand on the small of her back. Will and Eric were both crying, as was Sydney, whose sobs left her shoulders shaking violently.

Michael's mother Delorme held on to little Taryn, whose eyes looked all around in awe. Delorme's spirits were shattered, having lost her husband, and now losing her only son at such a young age. She turned her gaze to where Alice Walker stood, amazed that the girl had cared enough to come to her son's funeral. Delorme took in all the attendants, and paused to wonder where Meg was. Everyone had told her that Meg was gone...she only wished she knew where.

Several hundreds of feet away, Melina Bristow stood in shackles, watching the moves of the people at the funeral. Though she couldn't make out any faces, she knew that her parents, her sister and that Michael's mother was surely there. An anonymous guard prevented her from moving closer to the people, and to Michael, and because of this she began to weep quietly.

She had come to America to deceive Michael Vaughn. She had come to get closer to Sydney, so she could kill a sister that she had never known. She came to achieve revenge against the parents who had always favored their firstborn and had never given her a second thought. She had never expected to love being Meg Porter. She had never expected to even marry Michael Vaughn. She had never expected to have a child with him, and to fall in love with him and the child the instant that Taryn was born. _Taryn_. She longed to touch her daughter, to hold her when she cried or to rock her to sleep at night. Inwardly she screamed; the guilt she held over killing Michael Vaughn ripped her heart into irreparable pieces. She wasn't supposed to be feeling this way, she wasn't supposed to mourn his death. She wasn't supposed to be wishing that she was with her sister, with her parents, grieving with them and accepting embraces from them. She lifted her shackled arms to her face, grimacing at the heaviness that came along with them, and wiped her eyes slowly. She took one last breath, and motioned to the guard to take her back to her cell. She would rather be there than watch another second of a funeral of the first person she had ever loved.

  


*****

  


Will and Weiss were both worried about Sydney. Instead of taking time off to grieve as normal people often did, Sydney has immersed herself into finding her daughter Anna. She went on rogue missions, following leads that eventually led to dead ends. Weiss had trouble sleeping at night, knowing she was away, risking her life. He wished he could talk to her, but knew that she would not listen, for she was a Bristow: stubborn to the end. He was also preoccupied with adjusting to being a father to Taryn, though he had the help of Delorme Vaughn, who lived only miles from his own home.

Will realized that Sydney's welfare was up to him. On a night before she was scheduled to leave for another mission, one that looked promising, he showed up at her house with pizza and beer. She had scowled at his presence at first, but smiled instantly when she had noticed alcohol. She took it from his hands, immediately removing one from the six pack and opening it. He sat down silently with her on the couch, and at first her eyes averted his own, but soon they were looking directly at each other, both wondering what the next step would or should be. It was minutes before either of them spoke.

"Syd...it's okay for you to cry you know. It's okay for you to be angry, sad, confused...whatever. You have a right to," Sydney started to interrupt him but he stopped her,

"Yell at me, cry on my shoulder, break something, just please, show _some_ emotion. You're wasting your life away like this." He took her hands in his and waited. She looked down at her legs, wiping tears away from her face.

"I miss him Will," she said quietly, "I miss him so much. He was my guardian angel...what does that say for me if my guardian angel died?"

"Syd..."

"You said you wanted me to talk, I'm talking," she interrupted, "I want to find Sark and get my daughter away from that monster. I've never even seen her face, my own daughter's face! And what he said..." she trailed off, sobbing, shoulders shaking.

"What who said?"

"Vaughn."

"What are you talking about sweetie?"

"Before Michael died, he told me something really important, and I can't even do it, because I feel like I'd be betraying him!" she sobbed. At this point, she was in Will's arms, clinging to his body tightly.

"What did he say Syd? What did he tell you?" He pulled away from her in order to look in her eyes and waited for her to answer. She breathed deeply before saying,

"He wants me to take care of Taryn," she said, breathing out again. Will was confused.

"But Eric's taking care of Taryn," he stated, and watched as Sydney stared at him, waiting for him to get it. His eyes lit up when he realized what she was trying to communicate to him.

"Oh. He wants you guys to raise Taryn, _together_."

"Yes, and not just together. _Together_ together," She looked into his eyes, and he realized she wanted him to tell her what to do.

"Syd...I can't tell you what to do. I can tell you what I think you should do though." She waited in anticipation.

"Do what he said. You'll be honoring his last wish, and you'll also be following your heart," she gasped at his blatant honesty, and started to interrupt him.

"Will,"

"Syd, I'm talking now. Look, Eric loves you. He pretty much told me so. And you care for him, maybe even possibly love him. You owe it to yourself, to Eric and to Michael to see where it will lead. That's my advice. Take it or leave it." He looked at her in her eyes, before hugging her. He kissed her cheek softly, thanking God that she had finally opened up to him. She seemed to contemplate his words for a few moments before whispering,

"Thank you."

*****

  


"I want to see the prisoner," Jack Bristow stated, holding up his identification card. The guard nodded, opening the gates for Jack to proceed through them. He walked slowly, hesitant to see a face he knew would be identical to the daughter he already knew and loved. He walked with his head down, and when he came to a stop, he held his head down for a few more moments. He inhaled deeply, and exhaled as he looked up...to be met with the eyes of Melina Bristow.

For a few moments, they stared at each other, taking in each other's features. Jack noted her brown hair and facial features, identical to those of Irina and Sydney. The only difference were clear, blue eyes; eyes he knew would betray her otherwise angry features. She was beautiful, athletic and elegant; and that was just a visual assessment.

"Hello Melina, I'm..."

"I know who you are Jack. I've been around," she said, rather icily. He took a breath, realizing this was going to be difficult.

"Where's Irina? Too busy with Sydney?" she asked.

"Irina is outside. She couldn't face you yet," he paused, "She didn't know you were alive Melina; and I never knew you existed."

"She could've looked for me. She should've never believed that I died. She should've known," her eyes almost produced tears, but she immediately shoved them away.

"Melina, nothing I can say is a consolation for what you've been through. I'm your father. I want to be your father. But that's your choice." 

Melina stared at him, contemplating his words. Somewhere deep in her heart, she had waited for this moment. In her dreams, he had said exactly these things. In her dreams, she had broken down and cried, embraced him, and told him how much she loved him.

That would not be how it was in reality. She had come to far, sacrificed too much to let him, or Irina and Sydney in too easily. She straightened up, pushed her shoulders back and stared him directly in the eyes.

"I don't need a father...and I certainly don't need Irina, or your precious daughter. Get out," she spat out. She turned around, and did not watch him leave. What he didn't see as he walked away were the tears that she had so desperately tried to fight.

  


*****

  


Eric sat in his apartment alone, as he had done for several weeks. He had just dropped Taryn off at Delorme's, and breathed in the first air that did not wreak of baby diapers and baby formula. He wondered to himself what Sydney was doing...she hadn't talked to him in weeks. She was probably on some death mission, seeking out Anna. He didn't blame her for wanted to get her daughter away from that slimeball Sark. However, he didn't want her to risk her life. He wondered how many nights Vaughn had spent worrying about her this way. _And I told Michael to follow protocol? Geez_.

His thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. He disconnected it from his belt and answered.

"Weiss."

"Eric," he sat straight up when he heard the voice.

"Syd?"

"Eric, I need your help. I found out where Sark and Anna are, and before you interrupt me, it's legit. My mom found out their location using a few old contacts," she sighed, " I need your help desperately Eric. I need someone who understands me there with me. I don't know how I'm going to handle seeing my daughter for the first time. I need you."

Once again, Eric Weiss wondered how Vaughn had felt when Sydney had spoken to him this way. _He cracked every time you idiot_, he thought, _and so will you_. He sighed loudly,

"I'll help you get your daughter back Syd," he said before hearing her tearful thank you.

At least now he could protect her.


	12. Lost and Found

Two days later they were in Sydney, Australia, which both of them found completely ironic. Of course, Sark, idiotic as he was, would hide in a city named after his daughter's mother. However, neither of them laughed about it as they would have months earlier. Instead, they focused on the task at hand; Sydney mostly because she wanted to find her daughter, Eric because he wanted things to go back to normal, and maybe that would happen after Sydney was reunited with Anna.

They discovered that Sark was in a house in the middle of nowhere, which surprised Sydney. She had almost expected him to have their daughter in some testing facility to see if she was 'the one' to fulfill Rambaldi's outlandish prophecy. When they approached the house at night, she was shocked at the simplicity of it all...a swing set was placed on a beautiful front porch of a Victorian-style house. She could hear Sark singing to Anna in the widow's watch, or high gazebo tower of the home. This shock was instantly replaced by anger; all the moments she had missed with Anna could never be reclaimed.

Her rage led her, along with Eric, past the guards with almost no problems...they had taken them down in less than a minute. Eric surveyed the area, giving her a sign that everything was clear. At the signal, she did not hesitate. She raced up the spiral staircase to the second level of the house. Eric followed and together they checked all the rooms, until they found the obvious staircase that led to the widow's watch. Sydney looked at him, tears forming in her eyes.

"I don't know if I can do this Eric," she whispered, looking down to the ground. He sighed, lifting her chin up, forcing her eyes to face him. With his other hand, he reached down to her hand and grasped it tightly.

"Sydney Bristow, you can do anything," he said, wiping a tear from her face, "Now let's go get your kid already, alright?" He smiled at her, which restored her fervor to be reunited with her daughter. Still clinging to each other's hands, they climbed up the stairs together, to be instantly met with Sark, who was holding a bundle in his arms.

  


*****

  


She realized she had a lot of work to do. They would have to trust her, just like they had trusted Irina, and when they least expected it, the black widow would strike. She was ready for it; at least, she believed she was. Yes, she had mourned for the death of her husband, but that had been weeks ago. She had to face Jack Bristow, but she was already over that. She knew that her only weakness would be her mother...if she saw her, the plan would never be completed. She had to get revenge for her 'father's' incarceration. After all, he was the only father she had ever known. No, Jack and Irina Bristow weren't her parents anymore. As far as Melina was concerned, they never were.

  


*****

  


It was hard for Sydney to decipher all the feelings that she encountered at the moment Sark came into view. Firstly, she was livid...she hated him. Secondly, she was in awe of the creature he held in his arms. _Anna_, she thought. Sark had been right; Sydney would have never been able to deny the little girl as her own. She was the mirror image of Sydney as a child, minus the fact that Anna had clear blue eyes, much like Melina's. This recollection of her sister caused Sydney to feel a deep sadness, one that should not have been felt at this moment. Sark eyed Sydney suspiciously, knowing that he had been made. He had escaped from her two months ago, but had realized then that it would only be a matter of time until she found him, and Anna, and took his little girl away from him. Perhaps she deserved to have her...he had to admit that he didn't deserve this little bundle, the most perfect being he had ever laid eyes on. Hadn't they all made mistakes though? He realized that Sydney probably had regrets similar to his own....he didn't want to give up the one thing in his life that he had done right. But maybe, if he did some more right things, if he gave her up for a time, Sydney would let him see her again.

"Here," he said, and more delicately than he had ever done anything, he handed Anna to Sydney. At the instant that she touched her little hands, Sydney began to weep, pulling the baby to her chest and embracing her, loosely of course. Rather than cry at the sight of a stranger, the baby seemed to take in Sydney's every feature and instantly become familiar with her. Sydney assessed that Anna was nearly a year old, but was mostly in awe of the pure beauty of this little girl that she...and Sark...had created.

Eric watched Sydney as she moved timidly, not sure how to handle being a new mother, though he realized that Sydney had probably held her many times before; she just couldn't remember. He looked to where Sark was standing, him watching the reunion as well. He looked over to Eric and nodded solemnly. Sark met Eric and placed his hands in front of him, waiting for the inevitable snap of handcuffs. Eric looked at him with confusion, and though he hated the man who stood before him, he realized that Sark wanted to make things right, maybe for the first time in his life. He returned the nod, placing handcuffs on his arms, and motioning to Sydney, they all walked out of the house. Sydney still observed Anna's every move as they walked, while Eric was thanking God that there had not been a bloody battle for the little girl. Maybe things were finally looking up.

  


*****

  


"You got her that easily, seriously?"

"Yeah, Will, it was the weirdest thing...it was just like he gave up."

"Well, Eric, I wouldn't count on Sark turning over a new leaf just yet. I'll never trust him. Look man, I'm sorry but I've got to go. They want me to try to talk to Melina Bristow," he sighed loudly.

"Ouch. Alright buddy. We'll talk to you when the plane lands. See you later."

"Bye," Will said, closing his phone. He showed his identification card to the guard at Melina's cell, and walked slowly to her cell window once the guard had removed the bars. He watched as she moved from an Indian-style sitting position on the floor to a standing position in front of his face.

"Miss Bristow."

"Hello Agent Tippin. I've heard a lot about you. You're superior analyzation skills has the KGB pulling their hair out," she smiled. He almost thanked her, but immediately pushed himself to remember that she had almost killed Sydney, her own sister.

"Miss Bristow, I am here to discuss agency issues with you, not my own personal accomplishments, understood?" he stated bluntly, rather impressed with his own assertiveness.

"Understood, Agent Tippin," she nodded, smiling again. He didn't like her smile;_ too devious_, he concluded.

"Do you have any information you will be willing to exchange with the CIA for a possible plea bargain?"

"No, I don't really trust the CIA at this moment," she stated clearly.

"You don't trust us? We don't trust you, Miss Bristow. You almost killed one of our greatest assets, and _did_ kill one of our best men."

"I had my reasons. Remember that man was my husband, Agent Tippin. I may not be the easiest person to understand, but I did what I did for my family."

"How was killing Agent Vaughn _for the family_?"

"It was for Sydney," she stated bluntly.

"Um, okay. Whatever. You killed the love of Sydney's life, _for her_?" Melina laughed.

"You and I both know that she and Agent Vaughn were not meant to be...if they had been, I never would have been able to make him fall in love with me. She's meant to be with Agent Weiss. It's been clear from the beginning. When I posed as Meg Vaughn, I realized how much Agent Weiss cared for my sister."

"Don't call her that," Will spat out, "you tried to kill her."

"I never would have shot my own sister Agent Tippin..."

"I guess there will never be any way to prove that now will there Melina? You're in here for life." She smiled, and looked in his eyes. He snapped at the crystalline beauty of her gaze.

"Well, at least I did what I set out to do...Sydney is happy. That's all I want."

Will seemed to contemplate this for a moment. He didn't buy it, but yet, what if the girl was telling the truth? What if she really had set out to accomplish all of this...to unite Weiss and Syd, so they could raise both Anna and Taryn? But what about Vaughn, why had she shot him, if she had loved him? His brain could not register all these questions at once, so he decided to leave, possibly to come back to get more answers.

"Goodbye Miss Bristow," he stated and as he turned to leave, he heard her say,

"Goodbye Will," and he almost stopped; she sounded just like Sydney. He kept walking.

Melina smiled. It wouldn't be long now. No, this was only the beginning. Sydney would pay, as would Agent Weiss, and Melina would reclaim Taryn as her own...her daughter being the only living reminder of her love for Michael. Yes, it wouldn't be long now.

  


*****

  


Sydney awoke on her seat in the airplane, and found herself immediately searching for Anna's face. She looked over, realizing that Eric was holding onto her daughter, as he had been an hour ago when Sydney had finally fallen asleep. She smiled, watching as Eric told little Anna stories about the Bristow family, yo-yo's and a brave man named Michael Vaughn. Sydney's heart melted at the sight, impressed and touched by Eric's natural ability with children.

"Hey," she said, stretching, interrupting his one-sided conversation with her daughter.

"Hey!" he said, and turned to Anna, "Look who's awake Sweet Pea? Who is that...it's mommy!" he said, and handed Anna over to her mother. Sydney embraced the child, sighing deeply as Anna yawned, laying her head on Sydney's shoulder. Within minutes, she was asleep. Sydney looked over to Eric, and laughed for the first time in weeks.

"Your stories have always put people to sleep Weiss," she stated with a straight face, only to crack up when his mouth opened wide in shock.

"Whatever Bristow, she totally loves me," he stated, poking her in the shoulder. Sydney looked up at him, rewarding him with a dimpled smile.

"I can't argue with that Eric. She definitely has taken a liking to you...though I can't imagine why..."she laughed again at his expression. His face turned serious.

"I was worried about you, you know. I was starting to think you'd never laugh again."

"Eric, I was just obsessed with finding her, you know? I mean, she's my baby," Sydney looked down, stroking her daughter's hair.

"She's beautiful, just like her mom, that's for sure," he stated quietly, and when he looked up, he was met with Sydney's brown eyes. They were welled up with tears, and his heart immediately broke when he saw her like this.

"Syd...what's wrong? What did I say?" She hesitated a moment, looking up at him, smiling as he reached over to wipe the tears from her face.

"Eric..."she trailed off, "What's going on between us?"

"What...what do you mean?" he asked.

"There's something going on between us...there has been for a while...I've just been too stupid, too wrapped up in grief and self-pity to realize..."she trailed off, her eyes lowering to his lips, "that there is something powerful between us."

He looked at her, his mind only now processing the words she had just spoken. Sydney Bristow felt something for him? How had he gotten so blessed?

"Well, I mean...I've noticed...but...I don't want to pressure you. I mean, Mike just died, and now you've got a daughter..." She put a hand over his lips to interrupt him.

"You know what Vaughn asked me before he died? He asked me to help you take care of Taryn...he wanted you and me together, because he saw something. He said that with you, I could find the kind of love that had eluded him."

Eric was shocked. Vaughn had said all that? _Why didn't he say anything to me?_

"I can't believe he said that to you," he stated.

"Yes, that's what he said. I couldn't tell you at first, because I was confused by it myself. I felt so guilty even _thinking_ about another man...but Eric, being with you is so natural to me...it's like breathing."

"And we all need to breathe..."he stated, smirking slightly.

"Yes, we do," she said, and with that, closed the space between them, placing her mouth on his own. When they separated, she looked at him, smiling through tears.

"So what do you say Agent Weiss, want to honor an old friend's last wish, raise a few daughters and find everlasting love in the process?" she asked him in a joking tone. He took her face in his hands, grinning ear to ear.

"You know Agent Bristow, most men would be scared off by a proposition of that magnitude, but I must say, I'm feeling pretty adventurous," she smiled again, and as their plane landed in L.A., Eric was once again kissing Sydney Bristow.


	13. Love

NOTE: This is the final chapter in this story...but don't fret, everyone will be back for a second tale, a sequel that I will be unveiling within month or two (hopefully)! Secondly, this chapter will be going back to Sydney's POV, much like the first chapter! Enjoy!

  
  


I've felt a lot of pain in my life. I was shot by my own mother for goodness sake. I've had numerous breaks, sprains and various cuts during my stint as an agent. I went through childbirth before, but my memories of it still elude me. I search for my husband's face. I know from the warmth of his eyes and smile that he is with me, sharing my pain, as he has been for years.

"Push Syd!" he screams, barely audible over my own cries.

"I can't!" I shout, throwing my head back against my pillow.

"Yes you can honey! You can do this! We'll do this together, like we always have!" he squeezes my hand and I squeeze back, maybe a little too hard I think, from the painful look that comes across his face. Despite this he smiles, and his grin immediately makes me weak and strong at the same time. I push again and the pain becomes well worth it, when we hear the cry of our first child.

"He's out!" my husband cries and with tears welling in his eyes, he kisses my forehead tenderly.

"How is he?" I ask, searching for my child.

"He's perfect, just like you Syd."

The doctor hands our precious baby to my husband who immediately brings him to me. As I touch him for the first time, I instantly fall in love with my son. His eyes, slightly unfocused at first, focus on my face and he reaches his miniature hands to grasp my index finger. He is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

"Got a name for this little guy?" the doctor interrupts my inspection of the baby, and I look to my husband, who has just returned from the waiting room. I can hear my parents and Will, crying and laughing, rejoicing at the birth of our child.

"Well honey?" I question my husband. He doesn't hesitate.

"Michael," he states. My eyes well up with tears. We hadn't even discussed this possibility, and yet he has read my mind.

"Yeah," I say, "How about Michael James?" I ask. He looks at me smiling.

"It's perfect," he says, kissing our son on the forehead. The doctor writes the name on a birth certificate, and as I turn to look at Michael again, my husband speaks.

"Welcome to the world Michael James Weiss."

I look up at Eric, whose eyes are swelling with pride. I reach up and pull his face to mine, kissing him squarely on the mouth. He pulls away after a few moments.

"God, Syd...I have so much to do...I have to buy this kid a yo-yo..." I laugh, only to realize he's completely serious. I don't want to shatter his yo-yo dreams.

"Okay honey. Tell Will, he'll go get one for him."

"Oh no! Will's cool, but he won't know what to get...it's got to be the right color, the right..."

"Eric?" I interrupt.

"What hon?"

"Shut up," I say sincerely, kissing him once more. When we let each other go, he looks at me, holding my face in his hands and smiles warmly.

"I love you Syd."

"I love you too honey."

  


*****

  


Five years and one more son later, we are both retired and living on the coast of California, less than three blocks away from my parents. I am sitting on our deck, holding our youngest son in my lap, gazing out at the ocean, where Eric is playing with Anna, Taryn and Michael. The newest addition to the family, precious Phillip, is a dark-haired brown-eyed wonder, who looks and acts more like his father every day. The only difference is he is _chewing_ on the yo-yo his father bought him at birth.

As I absent-mindedly stroke Phillip's hair, my mind wanders to the past. Years ago, I had dreamed of moments similar to these, only Michael Vaughn was the father of my children, and Vaughn was playing in the surf, laughing and splashing. It had been my dream, to have moments like this with him and our family.

I smile. Yes, my life with Michael Vaughn had been wonderful, but short-lived. At one point I had considered him my destiny. I stand up and walk to meet my husband, hand Phillip to him and watch him as he laughs with our son. I gaze at him and he turns his eyes to me before his lips meet my own. Fireworks still, after all these years. We pull apart, and he brushes my hair from my face tenderly.

"Let's get these kids inside Mrs. Weiss," he says to me, and my heart still leaps when I hear that name.

"Right behind you Mr. Weiss." I say, as we lead the children to the house.

Later, when they are all tucked in, I sit on the patio, watching the sun fade into the distance. I smile as the breeze flows through my hair and the sky is painted bright shades of red, orange, blue and violet.

"Hey," a voice interrupts, as my husband settles in next to me on our patio swing, "Your mom called, she can watch the kids tomorrow."

"Oh okay, great," I say, looking at him up at him and smiling.

"What are you thinking about sweetheart?" he asks. Oh, how he knows me.

"Michael," I state blatantly. I don't have to lie; he knows.

"As in Vaughn?"

"Yeah," I sigh.

"What about him?" I can tell he is thinking that I wish Vaughn was here, instead of him.

"Well honey...I was thinking...I used to think Vaughn was my destiny. That's how it just _had_ to be you know? He healed my wounds after Danny died. He saved my life many times. But when I disappeared, he got married. He hurt me, although he didn't mean to...he broke my heart."

"Syd..."

"Please, let me finish Eric. I'm not angry at him anymore. If he hadn't hurt me, we wouldn't have Taryn. I can't imagine life without her. More importantly, if it weren't for him, I never would have fallen in love with you." Tears well in my eyes as I continue, first taking a breath. 

"Eric, this was meant to happen. You are my destiny, my best friend...you've never hurt me...you've only loved me. I know sometimes you think I look at you and that all I see is Michael and what I'm missing..." My husband is sobbing now, but I'm not quite finished.

"...but Eric, when I look at you, at our kids, at our life...I realize, this is where I'm supposed to be. This is where I _want_ to be and you are the only man who will ever have my heart. You are it for me, for the rest of my life." I hold his face in my hands to reinforce what I am saying, wiping his tears from his face. He takes a deep breath.

"I didn't think it was possible..." he trails off.

"What sweetheart?" I ask, searching his face.

"To love you more... but I do, more and more every day. You and the kids are my life. I never imagined that life could be this good. I don't know what I ever did to deserve this, you, them..."

"Well," I interrupt, "you're the greatest man, protector, father I've ever known. Plus, you're awesome with a yo-yo. I mean, that's why I fell for you really," I say, trying to maintain a straight face. We both laugh, holding each other's faces.

"I love you Syd."

"I love you too."

As I kiss my husband, the now starry sky shining over us, for the first time I am at complete peace. Yes, this life is not what I had expected, but it is how it is meant to be and not only have I accepted it, but I am more than okay with it.

  
  
  
  
  



	14. Author's Note

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I hope you all enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it...please, if you have any suggestions for the sequel, please feel free to submit them as a review. Tell me what you want more of...do you like the dynamic between Sydney and Eric, or do you feel it is over the top, or do you want to see some more romance...what kind of woman would you want Will with? I will be looking forward to any feedback about ANYTHING that you have to offer! Thanks again! God Bless! Love, Megan Elizabeth


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